I ended up reviewing Donkey Kong Barrel Blast for Destructoid, and the review's up now. It's not at all a quality game; it's a hollow shell of a racer. But it's the most fun I've had on Wii in a long time, and I actually like it. Made me think, though. Excerpted from the review:I confess, the overall experience feels as if it’s just missing something; it’s a little hollow. But, you know, this is a problem I’ve had with Nintendo games in general lately – including DS titles – where they’ve got this great idea, and great technology that has tons of potential, and it just seems they settled for simplicity, didn’t go all the way. You get the idea that DK Barrel Blast was kinda going somewhere, but didn’t quite make it.
I don't want to say something as sweepingly general as "Nintendo Games Aren't Quality Games," because there are surely miss-the-mark, disappointing titles on just about every other console too. But is it just me, or has there yet to be a killer title on the Wii? Wii Sports, maybe, but that game is win for other reasons beyond depth and sophistication. I think Twilight Princess was pretty sophisticated, but I also think I fell asleep in the middle of it and never beat it. Scratch that -- I know I did. In terms of tightness, I'd say Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is it, but. Why does this crap all suck, generally? Is it hard to develop for, or something? Have they not figured it out yet, or is it really only marginally more sophisticated than the GameCube?
Also, I only rated DK Barrel Blast a 6.5, and yet I enjoy playing it. Given the faults it had that I mentioned, it would have been weird for me to review it any higher -- but I still liked playing it, would recommend buying it, or would give it as a gift, as long as it wasn't given as a gift to one of my bitchy hardcore snob friends. Should I have reviewed it based on my enjoyment factor, or on the game as a piece of software?
